Wednesday, September 14th

Sleeping Giant Park is on a peninsula that’s across the bay from the city of Thunder Bay. The park takes up most of the peninsula, which is full of little lakes. The exception is the little town of Silver Islet that terminates the only paved road. The rest of the roads are all dirt tracks that lead back to the little lakes and trailheads. I arrived in plenty of time to do some good exploring both by truck and bike.

The campground at Sleeping Giant is great and sits along the shore of Marie Louise Lake, the largest lake on the peninsula.

These guys were sunning in the afternoon and didn’t seem to mind my being close to them at all.

Silver Islet has its historical roots in silver mining but today is just a sleepy little cottage hamlet with a small craft marina and general store.

The store has been there since the mining days.

The “streets” are all little one laners and I suspect you have to be a local to know if you’re going the right way.  Many of them have signs that say, No Access from May 15 – September 15.  It’s a clear message that they don’t want tourists driving through their neighborhoods. Being there was only one day ‘til the deadline, I drove down the lane along the shore that was lake on one side and cottages on the other. No one chased me away. The cottages don’t look out on the vast lake because this area is full of islands, big and small. Beyond the islands is Isle Royale.

Silver Islet is a hidden treasure that’s hiding in plain sight. It’s just fortunate enough to be off the beaten path.